• Says non-indigenes will swing votes in favour of APC candidate
The massive crowd recorded at the campaign rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dakuku Peterside, in Obio-Akpor Rivers State, at the weekend, had proven emphatically that Obio-Akpor is not the exclusive preserve of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Nyesom Wike, said Andy Briggs, a media and political strategist
.
Briggs said the rally which held at the College of Arts and Sciences, drew a record-breaking crowd of Obio-Akpor indigenes as well as non-indigenes. Obio-Akpor has the largest non-indigene population in Rivers State.
Speaking at the rally, Chief Willie Ubaka, a non-indigene and well-known Obio-Akpor leader, declared that non-indigenes would deliver hundred per cent of their votes to Dakuku Peterside. He said the non-indigenes fear that a Wike’s administration would be hurtful to their economic activities due to his initiation of all kinds of revenue collecting task forces during his tenure as Obio-Akpor council boss.
According to Ifeanyi Ofor an Ibo businessman, “Wike will, tax even our television set, if he is governor.”
Opinion polls, however, confirmed the assertions as they suggest that Dakuku Peterside is emerging as the favourite to win the governorship election due to his popularity with non-indigenes who make up the largest political bloc in the state.
Other factors for Peterside’s rise in the polls, according to Briggs include his rising popularity in Ikwerre land, the massive Ogoni support heightened by the involvement of Senator Magnus Abe in his campaign, the continuing discomfort of Riverine groups with Wike’s ambition and Rivers people’s more approving perception of Peterside.
According to a survey of opinions from all over the state, Wike’s aggressive image is a turn-off. People especially in the riverine communities feel that he has been quite cunning, exploiting the opportunities presented by the conflict between President Jonathan and Governor Chibuike Amaechi to hijack the Rivers PDP.
“Wike would be a generous governor to his allies and a terror to his foes. He would pack a lot of muscle on the street and he would not, when infuriated, respect the freedom of the press and the rights of those who disagree with him. He would run a tough take-it or leave-it administration and he would expect the legislature to be nothing more than a well rewarded rubber stamp because he is a man who brooks no opposition and is ready to pay for what he wants,” says Obi Iyke, a political analyst.
According to him, “a lot of people feel that Peterside would never be as domineering, as dictatorial and as threatening as Wike. He is more easy going and less temperamental than Wike. He can gloss over an insult when he needs to but Wike will probably lash out at the least provocation.
“The survey shows that people feel more at home with Peterside because they can heckle at him and they can laugh with him. There is nothing forbidden about his person. Investigations show that his gates are open to people all day. He is a bit like the guy next door. Wike, on the other hand is a more formidable proposition; shrewd and war-like as clearly demonstrated by his army-booted take-over of the coveted Adokiye Amiesimaka stadium. People complained that Wike has consistently failed to shake-off that aggressive war-like image and the hint of malevolence; that his image remains a problem and his attitude says, he does not give a hoot and that he will take Rivers in the same way he took Adokiye Amiesimaka whether any one likes it or not,” he added.
He went further to state: “The APC is the ruling party in Rivers State. This means that in every local government area there is a caretaker council chairman to direct and fund the efforts of the 0APC stalwarts in every ward. This is part of the governor’s power of incumbency which has been placed at Dakuku’s disposal. As the Peterside bandwagon sweeps through the local government areass, becoming a huge avalanche of Rivers people intent on a landslide victory, it remains to be seen whether the Wike camp can find an answer.”
Source: This Day
